Danilo Diedrichs, a Ph.D. candidate in applied mathematics and computational sciences, is applying his research in modeling dynamical systems to benefit the cellular biology field.

The native of Switzerland is using systems of nonlinear ordinary differential equations to obtain mathematical models for the complex processes that regulate the functioning of a cell.

“These models help biologists understand how the different proteins interact with each other, which in turn can shed light on the causes of diseases that result from malfunctioning cell processes and help find cures for them,” Diedrichs said.

Diedrichs also serves as a teaching assistant and was honored last academic year with the University of Iowa’s monthly Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award.